Performance
For an explanation of these plots please see this guide.
The XSPC Dual Bay Single D5 Reservoir performs very well given the expectation that it would perform no better than the Laing top. If we start with the D5 vario flow numbers it can be seen that it actually does beat the Laing top when the Laing is used with a simple straight through cylinder reservoir:
This is extremely surprising as the bay reservoir design would be expected to be a little compromised than the standalone top with an unrestrictive reservoir. It also performs better than the Monsoon dual bay single D5 reservoir.
However the real performance compromise shows when comparing the unit to a non-Laing standalone top with a reservoir. Here it can be seen that there is a genuine though small performance difference made when choosing to use a bay reservoir:
The difference however is less than 10% in terms of expected flow and is close to 5%.
Price
As usual XSPC gives a compelling price argument. The bare version with no pump checks in at $55, while the version that includes a D5 Vario comes in at $150 In comparison the more featured Monsoon pumpless version comes in at $100
Summary – Value Award
A high performance space saving design that comes in at a great price. Design niggles would be a lack of anything to isolate the pump from the case chassis and a somewhat small chamber for the coolant. We would prefer dual G 1/4 fill ports at the top or front over the single oversized one, but despite these niggles this is very good value for money!
Where to buy: PPCs: with pump, without pump
